Florida couple retains IVF baby after custody agreement

A Florida couple has reached a custody agreement with the biological parents of their infant daughter following an embryo mix-up at a fertility clinic, a significant step in a case that has drawn attention to oversight in the in vitro fertilization industry. Under the agreement finalized in court on Monday, June 15, 2026, Tiffany Score and Steven Mills will retain permanent custody of the six-month-old girl, Shea.

Score and Mills, who are white, underwent IVF treatment at the Fertility Center of Orlando in Longwood. An embryo was implanted into Score in March 2025, and she gave birth to a healthy daughter in December. The couple said they pursued genetic testing after their newborn appeared to be of a different race. Testing confirmed Shea was not genetically related to them and was, according to their attorney, 100 percent South Asian.

The discovery prompted a lawsuit filed in Orange County Circuit Court in January against the clinic and its lead reproductive endocrinologist, Dr. Milton McNichol. The legal action also initiated a search for the child's biological parents. In April, attorneys for Score and Mills announced that DNA testing had identified a woman referred to in...